Author's Note: Well I am going to try to make up for my inconsistent updating for the past week by adding a chapter right now. Hopefully it is a little better thought out than the last one was, but I make no promises XD I will admit that we are about to be walking a tricky path, and I am not sure if I can navigate it without falling off a huge cliff! Now it is time to try to reply to all those reviews I missed last time! Caitreylove sorry to have confused you in the last chapter. I will try to make some sense of it right here. There are only two types of daggers of note 1) Theoric's. The one he gives Sigyn and the one he leaves in the cave are two separate daggers that look identical. As a professional fighter, Theoric uses one type/style of dagger, but he has to have more than one of them made in case he loses one or more in combat. 2) Loki's. Loki also uses a very specific style of dagger. It would be tailored to him just as Theoric's would have been tailored to him. We already know that Loki carries several of the same looking dagger because that fact has been referenced in the story already. Loki makes a huge mistake by not using a different dagger around the Rock Trolls. A person's weapon is like a fingerprint in a way. We each have a specific taste when it comes to what weapon we prefer and how we use that weapon. If you were to look at pictures of a red light saber, Sting, and the Elder wand you can probably identify who that weapon belongs to (assuming you are familiar with those fandoms). Loki's style of dagger is recognizably his. He should have utilized either a different style of dagger, or a different weapon all together if he didn't wish to be found out. Hopefully that makes a little more sense. The important thing to understand is that all of Theoric's daggers look the same and all of Loki's daggers look the same. If I need to clear something else up for you, or I didn't answer your question let me know, and I will gladly try to do so! Anonymous1162 I am so glad that you are hooked :) I hope you continue to be just as enchanted in future chapters! Reteka Hyuuga don't you hate it when someone breaks your trust! It was about time Frigga and Sigyn aired out some secrets! Well being happy might certainly be difficult, but it isn't impossible I suppose.


Seven days came and went, and the time for Sigyn's official mourning came to a close.

Official mourning.

Sigyn wasn't sure if she would ever cease mourning Theoric. She visited Frida, Hallsteinn, and their families and continued to attend dinner parties, but she refused to attend events at the palace. She still would ride, read, and smile, but her innate sadness was unmistakable. Her riding was for solitude, her reading was to leave the real world behind if only for a short time, and her smiles were hollow. Try as she might, Sigyn couldn't work up an appetite, and frequently threw up whatever food hit her stomach. She tried to sleep, but even that eluded her. The depravity of her emotions began to manifest themselves physically. She grew paler and paler despite her time spent out in the sun, and she began to lose weight despite her efforts not to. Her family tried to encourage her out of her slump, but to no avail.

In an effort to try and cheer herself up one day, Sigyn decided to meander through the city. Exploring had always been an exciting adventure to her, so perhaps that and a change of scenery was what she needed. She looked in at the shops, bought herself a sweet treat, and just roamed aimlessly. She had told her parents that she wouldn't be back till late in the evening so she was in no rush to return home after she had supper in an inn. The nights were growing colder, so Sigyn had been sure to wear a warm cloak to block out the chill. She pulled it tightly around her and made her way to the flower market. The sun was beginning to set, so many of the venders were packing up. One form caught her eye however, an older woman who was carefully covering the beautiful yellow flowers in her baskets. Sigyn decided that she wanted one of these flowers, and quickly approached the elderly woman before she could pack away all her flowers.

"Excuse me…" Sigyn hailed once she was near enough.

The elderly woman turned to look at Sigyn and smiled.

"Yes dear, how may I help you?"

"I was wondering if it was too late to purchase some flowers?" Sigyn inquired.

"Of course not dear." The woman replied while stepping aside so Sigyn could see the flowers better.

Sigyn studied the yellow roses, daisies, orchids, Hydrangeas, and other golden flowers with love. They were all so beautiful, and the elderly woman began to talk with her as she began to pick out the ones she wished to buy.

"I have other colored flowers if you want to see those." She offered before going to uncover a different basket.

Sigyn shook her head.

"No, these are perfect, I love yellow flowers." Sigyn replied.

"I see… I would not have thought you to be one who likes yellow flowers." The woman explained.

Sigyn gave the elder a curious look.

"Why ever not?" She pressed.

"It is just that normally people who are attracted to yellow flowers are in a more cheerful frame of mind." She explained.

Sigyn picked up one of the flowers and smelled it in a thoughtful manner.

"Is my frame of mind so easy to perceive?"

"It isn't often that I see one so young and pretty wearing black."

"I'm not wearing black, it is midnight blue." Sigyn corrected.

"Sorry dear, I fear old age is affecting my eyes, but either way it is a very dreary color for one so young."

Sigyn sighed.

"Believe it or not, I wasn't always so forlorn looking." Sigyn assured.

"So why the change of mindset?" The elderly woman inquired.

"Life hasn't been exactly kind as of late." Sigyn replied while picking out some more flowers.

The woman gave her a pitying look.

"A broken heart?" She asked knowingly.

"I think shattered would be a better description."

"Still, your sorrow seems rather deep for being simply heartbroken. He must have just left you recently." The old lady noted.

"It was fairly recent, but he didn't leave me… he died."

Sigyn watched as the older woman's eyes widened in shock, and then took on a look of deep sorrow.

"I am sorry child. He was your lover?"

"My betrothed. He was killed a little less than three weeks before the wedding." Sigyn stated.

The elderly woman grabbed her baskets and went to sit on a stone bench. She patted the empty space next to her with a sad smile.

"Tell me."

This was crazy. She couldn't just spill her sob story to this random old lady…could she? Sigyn looked at the woman and contemplated what to do. It couldn't hurt really. Talking with her parents and Frida hadn't really helped partly because they just couldn't understand her. Sure they had seen death in several forms, but none of them had lost the person they love most…twice. Sigyn wanted to trust this woman, and as she looked closer she began to understand why. She caught sight of a chain around the woman's neck and its uncommon pendant. A ring. This woman was a widow. She had once been where Sigyn was now. Sigyn took the seat next to the woman and shifted the flowers in her arms.

"It is a bit of a long tale to tell." She admitted.

"Many important stories are." The woman assured.

So after a deep breath, Sigyn began to tell the old woman about meeting Theoric and the events that led up to his death. She withheld all the information regarding her former relationship with Loki, and gave no details as to who had been captured and why. She merely phrased it as if an old friend had been captured in the line of duty. The sun had completely set by the time she had finished telling the woman her story, and she simply ended with.

"It is bad enough that he died, but it is made all the more unbearable because I was the one who killed him."

The elderly woman shook her head.

"It is a tragic story, to be sure, but you did not kill him. Your fiancé died in the line of duty. In the end, regardless of whether or not you urged him to go after your friend, it was his decision to take action."

Sigyn stared down at the flowers in her arms. Deep down she knew this woman was right, but she still couldn't help but feel responsible for Theoric's death. Sure, he had ultimately made the decision to go in after Loki, but he would never have even considered it if it hadn't been for her.

"So this friend that you wanted your fiancé to rescue… what is the story behind him?"

Sigyn looked at the woman a tad surprised at the question.

"He is a 'he' I presume?"

"Well…yes, but who said there was any story behind him?"

"There must be a story, and a rather important one too, for you to beg your fiancé to go in and save him like that. He was a friend of the family perhaps?"

"Not really, more like a friend from my youth."

"Your youth?" The woman replied in amusement. "My dear I don't know if anyone has told you, but you are still in your youth."

Sigyn gave a small smile at the jest.

"Maybe in appearances, but I dare say you are more youthful a spirit than I am."

"Maybe, maybe not, but I think you are trying to change the subject."

"I fear that relationship is just another story, one that is too long to tell this late in the evening." Sigyn excused.

The older woman rose from her seat and grabbed her flower baskets.

"Wait, how much do I owe you?" Sigyn asked before the woman could leave.

"Come back tomorrow at the same time, and I will tell you." The woman replied.

"Wait! What is your name?" Sigyn asked before the elderly lady could walk too far off.

"Urd." The woman replied with a smile before heading off home.

Sigyn sat for a few more minutes on the bench alone studying her new yellow flowers. Who would have thought that talking with a random woman selling flowers could have cheered her up more than her own family? She certainly hadn't seen this coming when she set out to explore the town that morning. She returned home, and counted down the hours till she would venture to the market once more. The next evening Sigyn returned to the flower market in search of Urd. She was not disappointed seeing as Urd was waiting on the bench from the evening before.

"So you decided to come?" Urd asked.

"I don't like being indebted to someone." Sigyn explained as she sat down.

Urd smiled.

"Well then, you owe me a story about this friend of yours." She stated.

Sigyn sighed.

"And what part of the story would you like to hear."

"How did you and this mysterious friend of yours meet?"

"At a banquet." Sigyn replied. "The first evening I was introduced to Odin's court."

"So you were young indeed." Urd commented.

"Not as young as most. My parents had waited to introduce me for reasons that do not really apply to this particular tale."

"Tell me more. How were you introduced?"

"We were sitting across from each other at the table. He introduced himself to my elder sister and I, and spent most of the meal stealing glances at me when he didn't think I was looking."

"Fell in love with you at first sight did he?"

Sigyn let out a laugh.

"Hardly. He had made it his goal to bed a woman that night, and I just happened to be the most convenient one around. He asked me to dance, and I didn't really feel like I had the option to refuse. He spent the whole dance trying to flirt with me, so I was more than relieved when the song was over and I could scurry away to my sister."

"Though it obviously didn't end there." Urd remarked.

"No, of course not. As the evening wore on, more and more of my peers began to disappear to dark corners to enjoy themselves, and I found myself unable to avoid him any more. He asked if I would mind taking a little stroll with him out to the gardens, and I again felt as though I couldn't refuse."

"Why did you fear to refuse him?"

"It was my first time to attend such a banquet, and he is of a higher social standing than I am, so I thought I was required to acquiesce to any request he would make of me."

Urd began to chuckle.

"Quite naive of you."

"Yes, it was. As it were, we actually had a fairly nice discussion about the constellations for a time. After a little while however, he began to try and woo me once more. He must have thought he was close to his goal because he tried to kiss me."

"He tried to kiss you, but you stopped him? What excuse did you give for refusing his advances?"

"I gave no excuse, I simply slapped him and ran."

Urd was smiling from ear to ear and her eyes shone.

"My, how exciting! Did he chase after you?"

"Surprisingly, no. I think he was too stunned to do anything really. I fled the banquet, but not before I ran into his mother. A long story made short, I had to borrow some of his clothes to ride home in, and when I went to return them to his mother the next morning he showed up. The two of us had a little spat before I left, and he was forced to come and apologize to me."

"That must have been humiliating for him." Urd pointed out.

"I am sure it would have been, but I told him not to bother. I knew he would have just apologized because his mother made him, and that he really wouldn't mean it."

"So you spared him from having to lie to you? That was thoughtful."

"I suppose so, but I couldn't help but think that he was growing on me. Despite his many flaws, he has a good wit, which goes a long way in my book."

"So you were at the start of a rocky path towards friendship."

"Yes, we spent the next several encounters pranking and trying to outwit one another. It was rather fun for the both of us I think."

"And that friendship later developed into something more."

"Yes, it eventually did." Sigyn admitted.

"Tell me about these pranks." Urd pressed in an effort to avoid what she could tell would be a heavy topic for Sigyn.

Sigyn smiled as she began to recount her and Loki's earlier meetings, though she was careful to leave out names. She and Urd found themselves laughing and smiling over the antics for quite some time, and it struck Sigyn that this was the first time since Theoric's death that she had actually laughed. Before they parted ways once more, Sigyn inquired how much she owed Urd, to which the elderly woman replied…

"Come back when the flowers have wilted, and we shall discuss it."

So Sigyn did just that. The next week when her yellow blossoms had turned to brown, she went to the market in search of Urd. The elderly woman was there again waiting with her flower baskets as if in expectation of Sigyn's arrival. Sigyn took a seat beside her again and smiled.

"Well I am back."

"I can see that."

"So how much do I owe you?"

"Choose a number."

Sigyn quirked an eyebrow.

"Choose a number?"

"Yes, any number will do."

"Why?"

"I am curious to see what you will choose is all."

"I don't know…ten?"

"Is that what you are choosing, because you don't seem very confident about it."

"Yes, I am choosing ten, but why am I choosing a number at all?"

"Because I wanted you to pick your own payment."

"My own payment? I don't understand…"

"In payment for the flowers, you are going to give me ten stories about you and your nameless friend."

Sigyn thought about that arrangement for a moment.

"That hardly seems like fair compensation." She argued.

Urd raised her hand to stop Sigyn from protesting any more.

"I am the seller so I get to decide what I consider to be fair compensation." Urd pointed out.

"So you just want me to tell you ten random stories?"

"No, not random. I think it would be much more interesting if I asked you things about him and you gave me a story as your response."

"So ten questions and ten stories? ...It sounds amusing enough I suppose… if that is what you truly want."

"It is, so where to begin? … Ah! You told me of several of your escapades, but was there ever any time when those plans fell through, or didn't work out as planned?"

Sigyn thought for a moment. Their pranks on one another had gone off without too much difficulty, and their tandem efforts had been successful as well. The only prank that had gone terribly wrong had been throwing her in the lake, but that hadn't been Loki's fault in the first place. Sigyn decided that it was really the only option however, so that was the story she told Urd. Urd listened attentively, and refrained from interrupting Sigyn's story.

"Yes, I would say that plan did go quite awry." Urd commented once Sigyn had finished.

"It did, though it was hardly his fault. In fact, he was the first one to respond when he suspected something was wrong." Sigyn admitted.

"A friend indeed." Urd commented.

Sigyn gave her a small smile. If only the elderly woman knew how that friendship ended she might not be so quick to make such an assured statement.

"So what is your next question?" Sigyn inquired instead of commenting on Urd's remark.

Urd yawned and stretched out her arms.

"I think that is all for tonight. I am fairly certain that is all my poor enfeebled brain can take in this evening."

Sigyn smiled. Something told her that Urd's brain was far from enfeebled, but she knew better than to argue with her elders.

"So tomorrow then?" Sigyn asked.

"No, I need some time to think over my next question." Urd explained. "Come back in exactly one month."

"One month!?" Sigyn exclaimed.

"Yes, I want to think up a really good question."

"But that's so far away…" Sigyn pouted, she was going to miss her strange new companion.

"Well then you best find a way to keep yourself occupied till our next meeting, and I would suggest another activity besides moping about." Urd replied before heading off down the path to her home.

"besides moping about…"

A harsh assessment that Sigyn wasn't entirely sure she deserved. She had continued to attend parties and interact with society despite her sorrow, but maybe Urd did have a point. How often did Sigyn truly smile anymore? How often did she contribute to conversations, or allow herself to enjoy witty banter?

Never.

Sigyn went home contemplating her behavior since Theoric's death, and she finally determined to at least try to make some headway back to normalcy. For the next month Sigyn made a conscious effort to smile more often, to talk at the dinner table, and to interact with her family in a more natural way. The steps were small, and she failed more often than not in her efforts, but her heart began to feel somewhat lighter with every baby step she made. By the time she met with Urd once again, the heavy aura that had surrounded her on their first meeting had lifted ever so slightly. Urd made no comment on this fact, but Sigyn could tell that the elderly woman could see the small difference in her disposition.

"What was your friend's best physical feature?" Urd inquired.

"His hands." Sigyn replied without hesitation.

She reminisced for a long while about how Loki's large hands would envelope hers as they danced, or would gently guide hers as she practiced her dagger throwing. How his hands would cup her cheeks tenderly and trace the line of her collarbone affectionately. They were tender memories of Loki that she had refused to recall since they had split. Just as the good memories returned however, the nightmare of how violently those same hands had gripped her arms, slammed her into the desk, and crushed her throat in the library returned to the surface. Sigyn began to unconsciously shudder, and Urd placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She refrained from asking about Sigyn's silent panic. That would be a question for another time.

The same arrangement to meet the next month was made between the two women, and Sigyn spent the next month much as she had the first. She made a greater effort to pull herself back into the lives of her family once more. Though she struggled at times, she managed to make a little more progress.

The next meeting found Sigyn answering what Loki's best personality trait was, his wit obviously, and the next month of waiting found her starting to visit her brother and sister's families once again. The next two months had Sigyn answering what Loki's worst physical feature and personality traits were, his big feet (because he was always stepping on her toes when they danced) and possessiveness, and had her babysitting Siggy and teaching Hallstein's other son how to ride.

Sigyn's family couldn't miss the change that was coming over Sigyn, but none of them knew what had brought it about since none of them knew about her monthly meetings with Urd. They didn't pry into it however, since they were simply glad that she was beginning to look at least like a shadow of her former self.

Four more months.

Four more questions.

Four more stories.

Four more steps in the right direction.

Sigyn laughed and cried with Urd as she recounted her stories. She began to smile more often in the company of others, and she even began to wear more pleasant shades of purple, blue, and red. She was not the same woman she was before Theoric's death, but she had never expected to be. She had aged in the process. She was no longer a girl, but a woman. She possessed a maturity that she hadn't had previously, a result of her loss of innocence. Sigyn had taken the worst the fates could assail her with, and had survived. By her tenth, and presumably final meeting with Urd, Sigyn was ready to rejoin the world of the living once more as a stronger and wiser woman. She wore her favorite aureolin dress in honor of the meeting, which brought a smile to Urd's face when the elderly lady saw her.

"Now that is the mark of a woman who likes to buy yellow flowers." She remarked.

Sigyn smiled and took her usual seat.

"What question do you have for me today?" She asked cheerily.

Urd was silent for a moment before replying.

"Why do you fear your former friend?"

Sigyn's breath hitched in her throat for a moment. There were only three people who knew exactly what happened in the library. Loki, Frida, and herself. As far as she knew, not even Thor knew the full account, and she couldn't imagine that Loki had told his brother the details. Could she tell Urd? She had willingly told so many other intimate things about her relationship to Loki, could telling one more hurt? Not likely.

Sigyn took in a breath, and recounted her encounter with Loki in the library including what had directly led up to it. Urd was silent for a long while after Sigyn finished, and Sigyn wished she could know what was going through her friend's mind.

"I can see why you fear him." Urd finally stated. "You would be a fool if you didn't."

Sigyn shrugged.

"I do not fear him now."

"Then why do you sometimes shudder at the thought of what happened between you?" Urd inquired.

"Because I fear what he did, what he is capable of. In reality though, who is not capable of such an act? In fact, there are others who are capable of much worse. I should consider myself lucky that he was the type of man whose reason could overcome his rage, even if it was only long enough to stop him from crossing a vague yet unforgivable line."

Urd smiled.

"You are a wise woman, and a much kinder person than many I have met." She stated before reaching into one of her baskets and pulling out a single bloom. "I thank you for your companionship these past ten months, for you were not the only lonely soul in these Nine Realms when you came to buy flowers from me that day."

Urd handed Sigyn a yellow Iris before standing to leave, and Sigyn looked at the flower lovingly. Friendship. What a powerful thing. Sigyn had needed a friend who understood her and her struggles, and Urd had been just that. After Theoric's death she had no longer allowed herself to be happy because she felt as though she didn't deserve it. Urd had seen that self-loathing from the beginning, and called her out on the true source of her misery. Sigyn's depression had been a mindset, and a mindset could be changed. It hadn't been easy, but with help, Sigyn had been able to do just that.

"Why did you do this for me?" Sigyn asked curiously before Urd could walk too far away.

Urd turned and smiled at Sigyn.

"Because I know what it is like to lose the one you love." She replied as she grabbed the ring that hung around her neck. "I wish someone would have done the same thing for me." She responded.

Without hesitation and without caring who might possibly be watching in the practically abandoned market, Sigyn went to Urd and wrapped her arms around the elderly woman.

"Thank you for listening."

Urd couldn't really return Sigyn's hug with her flower baskets in her hands, but Sigyn could see tears in her eyes as she pulled back.

"Thank you for sharing." Urd replied.

With that, Urd turned and headed home. Sigyn didn't watch her friend leave this time. Instead, she headed home as well. She placed her solitary flower in a vase by her bed and smiled. She would always miss Theoric, and she would always be saddened by his premature death, but she had to move on. Theoric wouldn't have wanted her to mourn forever.

Days then weeks passed by, yet Sigyn's yellow Iris didn't fade. Sigyn wasn't surprised by this fact at first since flowers on Asgard could live quite some time even after they had been cut, but eventually the longevity of this particular flower's life began to pique Sigyn's interest. It truly looked just as beautiful as the day it had been given to her by Urd. The mystery of her long living flower finally got the better of Sigyn, and she determined to go ask Urd about it. Upon reaching the flower market Sigyn noticed something odd. Urd wasn't in her usual spot. Sigyn searched the market thinking that perhaps Urd had just decided to move her shop to a different location, but she was nowhere to be found. Sigyn began to inquire after her friend, but none of the other venders seemed to know whom Urd was, or where she could possibly be. The market was a rather large one so Sigyn wasn't discouraged. She asked seller after seller till the sun had begun to set, and they began to leave. Realizing that she was running out of options, she quickly accosted one of the sellers who had always been near where Urd had sold her flowers.

"Excuse me…"

The man turned around.

"Can I help you My Lady?"

"I was wondering if I might ask you a question."

"Of course." The man replied good-naturedly.

"Have you possibly seen the old woman who used to sell flowers just over there lately?" Sigyn asked while pointing to Urd's usual spot.

The man shook his head 'no'.

"Sorry My Lady, 'fraid not."

Worry began to churn in Sigyn's stomach.

"When was the last time you saw her?" She pressed.

The man contemplated Sigyn and her question for a moment before a realization struck him.

"Oh, you are the girl who used to come and speak with her, aren't you!"

Sigyn nodded.

"I haven't seen her since the last time you came to visit her." The man answered.

"Ohhh…" Sigyn replied a bit disheartened.

"She was a bit strange really." The man continued, "She only ever came on the days you did."

Sigyn looked at the man in surprise.

"You are sure?" She pressed.

"Positive m'Lady."

Sigyn gave the man a few coins for his help, and left the market. She knew exactly where she needed to go.